


Little Victories

by sopenation



Series: Semishira Week 2020 [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Quirks (My Hero Academia), First Kiss, Kawashiki actually have their shit together, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining, SemiShira Week 2020, Shirabu beats Semi's ass basically, god semi you're so embarassing, semi is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27255658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sopenation/pseuds/sopenation
Summary: Something is wrong with Semi’s Quirk. It triggers at random times and seemingly without explanation.Coincidentally, it only ever happens whenever Shirabu’s around.(Spoiler alert, it’s not a coincidence)
Relationships: Semi Eita/Shirabu Kenjirou, minor kawashiki - Relationship, minor ushiten
Series: Semishira Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017882
Comments: 12
Kudos: 170
Collections: Semishira Week 2020





	Little Victories

**Author's Note:**

> You don't need that much in-depth bnha knowledge to read this fic, by the way :) 
> 
> Pretend they're all the same age for the sake of this fic. And Quirk introductions should be read in Present Mic's voice for maximum effect.

Semi fucked up.

Vague, especially when considering ‘Semi fucked up’ could literally be applied to any event in his life, like when he was five and thought it was a good idea to set the couch on fire (He still denies it was him whenever it’s brought up). Or when he broke into Aizawa sensei’s office to replace all of his juice pouches with protein shakes to win a bet (He got caught immediately).

And so he has a list, aptly titled **A List of Semi Eita’s Fuck-Ups.** It began in his first year at UA, and now halfway through his second year has garnered an impressive total of 104 fuck-ups, all arranged chronologically, of course.

Now, sitting in class listening to Cementoss drone on about some paragraph he didn’t bother to read, he adds another to the list, eyes subconsciously flickering to the boy sat two seats to the left of him.

  1. _Falling in love ~~with Shirabu Kenj~~_



He’s still staring when the bell rings and he nearly decimates the classroom when someone drops onto his lap unceremoniously.

《Semi Eita! His Quirk— Energy Blasts. He can emit powerful pillars of energy from his body at will. A little hot-headed, he’s known to inflict some _serious_ damage on opponents without even laying a finger on them, honouring him with the title of No-Touch Ace!》

“ _Fuck’s_ sake, Tendou. Give me a little warning next time!” He grumbles, shoving the redhead onto the floor.

“Oh, but I did, Eita-kun!” Tendou chirps, too cheery for any normal person to be at nine in the morning. Then again, Tendou has never been considered normal, if the red horns and scales on his skin were anything to go by. “You were just too busy staring at Kenjirou-kun to notice. What’s your excuse this time, hm? Did you get distracted by the ‘gold flecks swimming in those pretty copper eyes’ again?”

“I told you that in confidence _one time—"_

“And have you gained better control of your quirk yet?” Tendou cuts him off. “Last time it went haywire you nearly took poor Tsutomu’s eye out.”

Semi flushed, staring intently at his table as he mumbled.

“I’m getting the hang of it…”

He was in fact, _not_ getting the hang of it.

See, Semi had a… slight predicament.

If nearly blowing up several pieces of property and even Goshiki’s limited-edition All Might figurine counted as ‘slight’.

He’s lucky he hasn’t gotten sued yet for all the damage he’s caused. Although lately, Principal Nedzu _has_ been giving him some serious side-eye every time they pass each other in the hallway and it’s starting to freak him out. Well, as freaked out as someone can be when a talking rodent not even half his height looks like they’re plotting his murder.

But frankly, he thinks he would prefer getting murdered over everything that’s been happening to him.

Funnily enough, he had been having a perfectly normal day before everything went to shit. It was as if the universe was granting him that one morning of solace and saying _hey we’re about to fuck up your life so don’t get too comfortable!_

He woke up with a slightly tamer bedhead, managed to snag the last piece of okonomiyaki before Yamagata could get his grubby hands on it and even scored a B on the English test he had been dreading. He won’t ever admit it but he felt a swell of pride when Present Mic gave him a congratulatory smack on the back.

So yeah, life was great.

Until it was not.

It had been the little things at first, not enough to raise any alarm bells but they were always present, a small reminder that something was… off.

He would be sitting in class and his quirk would just go off on its own, random little bursts of energy sparking here and there. He’d shrugged it off when it happened the first few times, used to his quirk acting up.

(He never realised it only ever happened after staring at Shirabu too long.)

What had tipped him off, surprisingly, was a fateful arm wrestling match with Ushijima.

Reon advised him against doing it. Tendou had cackled saying he had a death wish. Taichi just stood there with his phone already in hand. Shirabu rolled his eyes and called him an idiot.

Listen, he _might_ have the worst test scores and the last place in class _might_ have his name on it, but Semi Eita was _not_ an idiot.

He just likes a good challenge.

And there was no better challenge out there than the school’s most promising hero.

《Ushijima Wakatoshi! His Quirk— Invulnerability. It’s exactly like it says— his skin is wickedly tough, leaving him impervious to most attacks. His quirk allows him to pack a really mean punch— definitely not somebody you want to get on the bad side of!》

Ushijima had accepted Semi’s challenge with a blank stare, unfazed and looking like he wanted to get it over with quickly.

“Don’t blame me if someone gets hurt.” He’d had the audacity to look bored, like _he_ had already won and that _Semi_ was the weak, pathetic loser.

Oh, was he going to make him eat his words.

The match took place on Ushijima’s desk. As confident as he was, Semi wasn’t dumb enough to think that nothing was going to end up broken, and he had grown rather fond of his own doodle-filled desk. He’d rather not see it in a messed-up, flaming heap of trash after everything was over.

Yep, Ushijima’s desk it is.

A crowd had emerged when they settled into their seats. Semi stared the other man down as they locked hands, trying to ignore how Yamagata was placing bets _right next to his ear_ and— holy shit was Taichi _livestreaming_ this?

“Ready, gentlemen?” Tendou asked teasingly, somehow managing to wrangle a nervous Goshiki into playing referee with him.

“Play fair!” The younger boy managed to squeak out, before falling victim to Tendou’s virtually inescapable one-armed hug.

There was a sound of a whistle blowing — _seriously, where did they get that?_ — before he felt his arm being ripped off.

Not _literally_ , of course.

The both of them had agreed not to use their quirks because face it, Semi would most likely end up missing a limb and Ushijima blasted to god knows where, but _fuck_ was Ushijima’s superhuman strength still a bitch to handle.

Semi gritted his teeth, pushing forward and, not for the first time, cursed the fact that Ushijima has probably never skipped arm day in his life.

His arm was now dangerously close to hitting the table, elbows digging painfully into the table and that still somehow hurt _less_ then the huge hit his pride was taking.

Someone —probably Taichi— muttered, not even trying to be subtle: “When Semi-san loses, can we go get yakisoba bread with our winnings?”

Another person —Yamagata, this time— replied smoothly: “I think we’ll have enough to get some for everyone.”

Fuck being a hero, Semi was going to _kill_ those two.

Ushijima’s grip tightened. Semi bit his lip, trying to regain his footing but failing terribly. He was losing his grip, and Ushijima hadn’t even broken a sweat.

_Why the fuck did he think this would be a good idea?_

He had looked up for a brief second, his attention immediately getting drawn to Shirabu who was standing across the room, eyebrows furrowed as he watched the match. Their eyes found each other, and—

—Semi smashes Ushijima’s arm through the table.

There’s a stunned silence, only broken by the crackling energy shooting through Semi’s veins.

The whole class descends into chaos.

Ushijima’s table (and pride) laid in tatters on the floor, and the owner himself looked like he was going through an existential crisis, staring blankly at his arm in defeat. He doesn’t even flinch when Tendou throws himself onto him, wailing something about taking care of his wounded ego and overall sounding like _he_ was the one in pain.

Were they an item now? Semi didn’t want to know.

Taichi was still livestreaming and muttering something about cheating bastards. Reon was trying to clear up the mess and Goshiki —bless him— looked genuinely happy about Semi’s win.

“I want to beat Ushijima-san too! Please teach me one day, senpai.” The younger’s eyes were sparkling, eager to beat the best hero.

Semi ruffles his hair affectionately, a smile tugging at his lips. “Sure thing, kiddo.”

Goshiki beams, running off to boldly demand a match with Ushijima. Semi swears he sees a fire ignite in Ushijima’s eyes, and sends a silent prayer to Goshiki’s poor, poor arm.

Amidst all the chaos, he notices Yamagata and Shirabu talking in the corner. Curiosity peaked, he witnesses as Yamagata (dejectedly) hands over a hefty sum of money to Shirabu, who pockets it without another word.

His heart skips a beat knowing Shirabu had betted on him, even more so when their eyes meet again and Shirabu gives him a small smile.

It then skipped a beat for a _different_ reason when a hushed silence falls over the class and he turns to see Principal Nedzu standing menacingly in the doorway.

“… Oops.”

Needless to say, that incident had been the catalyst to his… awakening, and also the reason for his third detention in a month but _that_ was unimportant.

He liked Shirabu, and since his quirk was directly connected to his emotions, it went haywire whenever he was around his crush, ie. smashing Ushijima’s arm through a table. Simply put, he was a walking bisexual disaster. (What else is new?)

Now he had his explanation, but that didn’t mean he had to _like_ it.

For one, it only made Semi _more_ aware of Shirabu and everything he did. He’d catch little sparks lighting up his fingertips every time he stared at Shirabu too long, or accidentally shock Shirabu if they stood too close. Embarrassingly enough, he had caused a miniature explosion once when Shirabu stretched in front of him before training.

Tendou still hasn’t let him live that down.

It’s part of the reason why Semi has gone to great lengths to avoid the copper-haired boy, which isn’t easy considering they’re in the same class, have the same circle of friends and literally live in the same dorm.

You get the idea.

What’s worse is that Shirabu has _definitely_ caught on. He’s perceptive and Semi’s not exactly… subtle about the whole thing.

He cringes thinking back to when Shirabu had caught him in the middle of scaling a fence to try and get away from him. _That_ had been a joy to explain.

What Semi needed to do now, was find a way to get his Quirk under control. There’s no way he can let a crush affect his performance on the field, not after how hard he’s worked to earn his place in the hero course.

He bites his lip, fingers unconsciously tracing the paper-white scars running up his veins. He knows first-hand the damage an untrained Quirk can cause.

It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

He’s just about to make a new list of ideas after shooing Tendou away because _clearly_ avoiding Shirabu wasn’t working out, when a paper ball flies out of nowhere and hits him in the face with pinpoint accuracy.

Semi winces, looking up to glare at Shirabu’s back. Speak of the devil.

《Shirabu Kenjirou! His Quirk— Sharpshooting. He’s got the skills AND the aim of an expert marksmen! He can hit targets moving at high speeds, or even ones from miles away! Combine that with his high intellect, and you’ve got yourself a deadly combination.》

Shirabu doesn’t even bother looking back when he throws the second ball with a mere flick of his wrist, shooting across the room like it’s being manipulated by some unseen force before smacking Semi directly in the chest, _hard_.

 _“Ow_.”

Shirabu turns to shoot him a look that says _suck it up you baby_ , hands already moving on their own to form another ball.

Most times, Semi admired Shirabu for his determination. His Quirk may not be as flashy as the rest of them, but he’s worked hard and honed his skills to earn his place among them.

This time though, he _really_ hated his Quirk.

Semi tries to dodge when the next ball comes sailing over —the keyword here being ‘tries’ because he fails miserably and ends up getting smacked square in the nose.

He groans, reaching up to rub his nose, glaring all the while as Shirabu makes his way over.

“Are you _trying_ to make my life hell?”

“I don’t know, is it working?” Shirabu smirks. He fucking _smirks_. Semi wants to wipe that damn smirk off his stupidly pretty face, preferably with his lips.

A loud thump resonates across the class when Semi slumps forward onto his desk, head making contact with the hard surface

“Does that answer your question.” Comes the muffled reply.

Shirabu snorts, pulling a notebook out and smacking Semi’s head with it.

“Here, I know you weren’t paying attention in class.”

“You know, it’s rude to assume things.”

“What did sensei teach just now?”

“…”

“That’s what I thought.” Shirabu sighs, nudging Semi again with the notebook. “You can use my notes. You’re never going to become a pro if you don’t listen in class, dumbass.”

He pointedly chooses to ignore the insult, instead focusing on how _nice_ of a gesture it is. And God, Semi must have the lowest standards if he’s falling for something like this.

“Shirabu…” He wipes a fake tear away, accepting the notebook with a few sniffles. “What would I ever do without you?”

Maybe it’s his imagination or wishful thinking, but for a second there Semi swears he sees Shirabu’s cheeks flush a light pink.

“Let’s hope we never find out.”

Hero training has always been Semi’s favourite part of the day.

He’s never been book-smart, but out here on the field is where he _belongs_. More than once has his raw power and quick thinking carried his team to victory, and he wasn’t about to stop there.

Today’s training was carried out in teams of four who would then be pitted against each other. The battleground was large, a cityscape with buildings just waiting to be destroyed.

They had some time before the exercise began, and they were waiting it out on top of one of the roofs.

Semi took the time to stretch and idly scan his teammates and opponents. He supposes it’s a good thing he got paired up with Tendou, Goshiki and Taichi. After all, chemistry more often than not played a big role in determining whether your team would succeed.

His eyes wandered over to where Taichi was standing. Most people would think he was just sleepy —he _did_ have a resting tired face— but Semi knew better.

Taichi was concentrating.

Sure enough, not a few seconds later a dome-shaped barrier had emerged around the redhead. It wasn’t impressively large, but Semi could tell from the bright purple aura that it was powerful.

He still kicks a stone at it to be sure though, side-stepping when it flies past his head and lands against the wall with a loud ‘ _clang’_.

A grin spreads across his face. Yep, _definitely_ powerful.

Taichi raises an eyebrow, almost as if to say _did you expect any less?_

《Kawanishi Taichi! His Quirk— Force Fields. He can produce force fields durable enough to withstand an explosion _and_ large enough to surround a small city! Alongside his sharp instincts, he’s a crazy talented blocker!》

Semi bounces up and down on the soles of his feet. He had a good feeling about today. With Taichi around, they had the upper hand against Ushijima’s attacks. Nothing could break throu—

“Taichi!” Goshiki yells, running forward and _completely_ disregarding the force field to go jump into his boyfriend’s arms.

Taichi catches him on reflex, staggering a little but the force field remained intact. There’s a lovestruck look on his face as he cradles the boy in his arms, and Goshiki seems to return the sentiment, wrapping his arms tighter around the lanky teen.

Okay, so _almost_ nothing could break through.

《Goshiki Tsutomu! His Quirk— Phasing. He can phase through just about _anything_! It’s not as flashy of a quirk, but it sure is hella useful for dodging attacks and gaining the upper hand for him to land the last blow!》

He’d almost forgotten how Taichi’s Quirk was practically useless on his boyfriend, but he guesses he should be thankful that Goshiki’s on their side instead. Not to mention that Taichi would probably sooner surrender than fight his boyfriend.

… Speaking of fraternizing with the enemy, Semi turns and has to suppress a sigh when he sees Tendou, quite literally, hanging off of Ushijima.

It looked like Tendou was trying to stop the brunette from warming up and while Semi applauded his efforts in sabotaging their opponents, he would have appreciated it more if it was actually working.

Ushijima doesn’t even look fazed when Tendou steps in front of him, his expression neutral as ever as he throws the redhead over his shoulder and resumes his squats.

“Wakatoshi-kun, aren’t I heavy?”

“No, it’s like carrying a handful of grapes.” Ushijima deadpans.

The answer seems to satisfy Tendou, who nuzzles further into the brunette. Ushijima falters for a second, before tightening his grip around his boyfriend and picking up speed.

Semi releases the sigh he’s been holding. So much for sabotaging the opponent.

He’s so transfixed by the disgusting display of affection ( _seriously, get a room_ ) and depressing reminder of his singleness, that he doesn’t even hear the footsteps inching closer towards him.

“It’s rude to stare, Semi-san.”

An undignified squawk definitely does _not_ escape Semi’s lips. He whirls around and when he sees it’s just Shirabu, relaxes for a moment before realising: _Oh_ , _it’s Shirabu_.

The chain of explosions that happens afterwards is also definitely _not_ his fault.

Shirabu wrinkles his nose at the smoke. “I thought you’d taken care of that already. What is up with your Quirk?”

Semi swears he has a smart comeback, but his brain is still short circuiting from how close Shirabu is and he has literally no trace of a brain-to-mouth filter so the first thing that leaves his mouth is: “What’s up with _your_ Quirk?”

Smooth, Eita. Real smooth.

“I hope whatever this is doesn’t affect your performance today, Semi-san.” Shirabu shakes his head, a smirk slowly taking up his face. “I wouldn’t want to win so easily.”

They’re both unsurprised when bright red energy immediately envelops Semi’s arm. He was easily provoked, and Shirabu liked pushing his buttons almost as much as he liked shirasu.

He takes a step closer to Shirabu, using his height to his advantage. A bright red illuminates his face as Semi returns the smirk, competitiveness lacing his next words.

“I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you, Shirabu.”

The aim of the exercise is easy. Keep your teammates safe. Go against the other team. Capture the flag at the finishing line.

Semi cracked his neck from where his team were crouching behind a wall. The two teams had been split up before the exercise began, but a fight was bound to break out soon.

In the distance the whistle sounded. Semi turns to his teammates.

“The other team has three people on the offence.” He says. “Ushijima is the biggest hurdle, but we can’t rule out Shirabu or Reon either. If we’re not careful we’ll be playing right into their hands.”

“So we take them out.” Taichi speaks up, sounding a little bored.

Semi shakes his head. “Yamagata needs to be the first to go.”

“Oh!” Goshiki claps his hands. “It’s because he’s the one who can reach the flag the fastest, right?”

“Exactly. Luckily for us, he can’t just teleport there if he doesn’t know its exact location. Which is why we can’t let him scout the area.” He nods to Tendou. “Satori, keep him occupied.”

The redhead mocks a salute, before standing up and stretching his body. In an instant red scales spread across his entire body and when he opened his eyes, they glowed a bright yellow.

《Tendou Satori! His Quirk— Guess Monster. He can transform into a red-skinned entity with crazy reflexes _and_ superhuman strength. His quirk also enhances his deduction abilities, allowing him to predict his opponent’s next move accurately nearly _every time_!》

“See ya later, boys.” Tendou grins, rows of pearly white fangs a stark contrast to his skin. He’s off before Goshiki can even wave him goodbye.

Semi turns back to the other two. “Taichi, can you hold Ushijima off?”

The boy in question grimaced. “Not for long.”

“Just until we get to the flag. If we can take their biggest asset out, we’ll have a fighting chance.”

Taichi still looked unconvinced, but he downright _melts_ when Goshiki reaches out to give his hand an encouraging squeeze.

He squeezes back, a small smile threatening to appear. “Yeah, I can do it.”

Goshiki beams. “I know you can! Semi-san, what about me?”

“You,” Semi says, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “are our best bet against Shirabu. He can’t hit what he can’t touch, you know?”

At this, Goshiki puffs his chest out, looking proud of himself . It’s endearing, and Taichi seems to share the sentiment judging by the adoring look on his face.

He stops when he catches Semi staring, a blank expression falling over him once again. “And what about you?”

Semi shrugs. “I’ll take the roofs. My Quirk works best long range, and I can jump in to help at any time. But mostly I’ll be looking for the flag.”

He pauses, taking in his teammates’ serious faces with a determined glint in his eye.

“ _Let’s go kick their asses_.”

Semi ducks behind the pillar as another one of Reon’s spears shoots past him. He grits his teeth, sending quick-fire blasts of energy into the chaos happening below him.

A deafening boom echoes around the battleground. Semi stands up shakily just in time to see Ushijima’s fist connect with Taichi’s force field, sending another surge of shockwaves through the ground.

He inhales sharply. Ushijima’s raw power has always been exhilarating to witness. To be on the receiving end of it though, not so much.

His heart stutters when he sees Taichi falter slightly after Ushijima lands another sickening blow, eyebrows scrunching together in concentration as he no doubt struggled to keep the force field up. Despite the damage he was taking, Taichi still displayed an impressive control over his Quirk, remaining impassive as he multitasked.

Aside from the force field containing Ushijima, he had one around himself and another that popped up whenever a teammate was in danger, as evidenced when Reon’s light spear connects with a bright blue barrier instead of Goshiki’s face.

The younger boy lets out a yelp when a blast of energy fires past him, looking up to give Semi a sheepish smile and a thumbs-up.

“Focus, Tsutomu!” He yells out, sending another blast his way only to be apprehended by Reon’s waiting shield.

《Reon Ohira! His Quirk— Light. He’s able to draw his powers from the sun, and manifest virtually _any_ weapon from light! And when he’s stored up enough, he can channel his body into becoming a human torchlight!》

Reon doesn’t even stumble from the attack, and Semi barely registers his opponent’s skin glowing brighter, brain moving on autopilot.

“Fuck.”

It’s only on instinct that Semi manages to throw himself onto the ground in time before a powerful blast of light streaks past him, scorching the place where he once stood.

Reon doesn’t stop there, shooting one after the other and it’s bright, _too_ bright that Semi has no choice but to squeeze his eyes shut to avoid getting blinded.

Oh, the irony of getting his own ass kicked instead. 

And all of a sudden— it stops.

Cautiously, Semi peeks out at the scene below him.

Reon is lying on the ground clutching his stomach, sparks of light escaping here and there— only to pass straight through Goshiki.

Semi can’t help the twinge of sympathy he feels for his friend. Goshiki was still clumsy and unpredictable, but fighting him has always been a pain in the ass. There’s not much you can do against someone whose Quirk literally allows them to walk through any attack unscathed. Not to mention Goshiki had recently developed a nasty move that involves phasing through someone’s body which, and Semi’s speaking from experience, is _not_ pleasant.

The bright smile on Goshiki’s face was a heavy contrast to Reon’s groans of pain.

“Get to the flag, Semi-san!” He calls out, body flickering a little when Reon shoots another futile beam. “We totally got this!”

And for a fleeting moment, Semi allows himself to think that they did.

Taichi still had Ushijima cornered in his own bubble, his own force field unwavering as Shirabu launches arrow after arrow at him, letting out frustrated yells when they end up getting blocked again and again.

Semi feels a strange swell of pride when he sees Taichi smirking like the little shit he is. He knows Shirabu see it too because the shouts have now been replaced with _‘Eat shit, Taichi!’_ and _“Fucking fuck off!’_ with every arrow being let loose.

He soon gets cut off when Tendou and Yamagata pop out of nowhere, locked in a fierce fight. There are small gashes all over the shorter of the two who barely has time to teleport out of the way when Tendou lunges at him again, baring his teeth.

They’re grappling again, Yamagata popping in and out of different places trying to shake him off, but the redhead is never far behind him.

《Yamagata Hayato! His Quirk— Teleportation. Blink and you’ll miss him, he can transport anywhere he wants, as quickly as he wants! It’s a useful Quirk for getting the leg up on villains, or for when you’re late to school.》

Yamagata bites out a curse when Tendou’s claws rip his costume and stains it a faint red, the relentless attacks have started to take a toll on him.

They’re winning, Semi realises belatedly.

They’re winning by a landslide.

But it’s not going to last.

Shirabu’s arrows will find a chink in the armor sooner or later, and Ushijima doesn’t look like he’s getting any weaker. Even now, there’s a lapse in Taichi’s concentration when Ushijima lands a particularly powerful punch the same time a sea of arrows rain down on his own barrier.

Semi swears under his breath when his eyes adjust to the scene in front of him.

The force field is cracking. And so is Taichi’s confident façade.

He needs to _run_ , to find the flag now when his teammates can still buy him time.

Because from the looks of it, there’s not much left.

He takes one more look at the chaos raging beneath him, at Taichi’s crumbling composure, at Reon, who’s back on his feet with a vengeance, at Tendou breathing heavily, bleeding from a leg wound.

And against his better judgement, at Shirabu, who even in the heat of battle is still beautiful, commanding with his presence as he unleashes hell onto everyone around him.

Semi takes one last, lingering look and then—

He runs.

The sounds of fighting no longer reach his ears, and Yamagata had yet to come out of nowhere to trip him up.

Semi takes that as a good sign.

He’s panting, muscles screaming from exertion but he continues running, eyes searching for that _damn_ flag.

Seriously, was it hidden under an invisibility Quirk? He swears he’s run past the same building three fucking times already.

It’s only when he’s leaning against a wall to catch his breath when a flash of red out of the corner of his eye catches his attention.

The fucking flag, now only a few meters away, called out to him like a beacon. Semi blinks slowly, feeling as if he’s spotted an oasis in the desert. Its hard to believe, but the desire for victory overrides his other senses. If he doesn’t get a move on now, he’s going to have to kiss that flag goodbye.

That said, he doesn’t even get to take a step before the arrow whizzes past him, missing his face by mere millimetres.

There’s no time to react when the second arrow flies past, only seconds after the first one, this time pinning his uniform against the wall.

“What the _fuck_.” Now he’d have to mend the damn thing again. He goes to pull the arrow out, but —because _of course_ it does— another of those bastards fly past, pinning his other arm against the wall and effectively restricting his movement.

Semi’s fucked.

Sure, he could blast his way out, but that would cause more damage to the buildings (not a good thing) and while he’s built up a resistance to them, he’s not entirely immune to his own energy blasts. He can’t even count how many days he would have to spend in the infirmary if he went full throttle (also not a good thing).

 _“You just don’t want Shirabu to get hurt.”_ The tiny, niggling voice in the back of his mind supplies helpfully.

He lets out another string of curses.

“Language, Semi-san.” Says the bane of his existence, languidly strolling over to him without a care in the world.

“Hypocrite.” Semi grumbles, foregoing an intelligent reply to glare at the brunette. How does he still look pretty even after a battle?!

“Oh, what’s this?” Shirabu bats his eyelashes, and no Semi does _not_ find it devastatingly cute and no his heart is definitely _not_ beating faster all of a sudden.

_(He’s lying. Death from explosion is beginning to look more desirable right about now.)_

“It looks like you’re stuck, Semi-san. How unfortunate…” Shirabu coos, a condescending smirk riding high on his face.

Semi bristles. “What’s your deal? Why not just take the flag and run?”

Shirabu considers this for a moment, analytical eyes raking over him.

“Maybe I like seeing you helpless.” He shrugs. “Or maybe…” Copper eyes slide over to meet his, burning with intensity.

Semi gulps.

“I want to know why you’ve been avoiding me lately.”

His heart drops.

God, what he would give to have Goshiki’s Quirk. Right now he wants nothing more than to sink into the ground and stay there forever.

“Who—who said I was avoiding you?” He coughs, refusing to meet his eyes.

Shirabu looks like he wants to have a second go at him with his arrows. Semi’s worried he’ll actually do it.

“I’m not an idiot, Semi-san. You haven’t been yourself and your Quirk’s acting up a lot, _like right now—”_

 _Oh_ , Semi blinks, turning to look at the puffs of smoke rising off his skin. _How hadn’t he noticed that?_

“So tell me,” Shirabu’s voice is shaking, pleading now. “Did I do something wrong?”

Semi’s eyes widen. Shit, he _really_ fucked up..

“No—No, you didn’t do anything wrong, Shirabu I swear—"

“Then what?” Shirabu says bitterly. “What else could cause this besides you hating me?”

Semi panics.

“It’s the opposite of that!” He blurts out, face flushing immediately after he realises what he just said.

“I— _Fuck_.”

Sparks are flying from his fingertips now, (embarrassingly) the same shade of red as the tips of his ears. He avoids Shirabu’s gaze, briefly contemplating the pros and cons of causing an explosion then and there.

Pro: He could get out of this situation.

Con: There’s no chance in hell he’s getting out of this situation in one piece.

“Semi-san?” Shirabu’s voice is small, but it acts as an anchor, pulling him back to reality.

He has to be honest with him. He _needs_ to, for both their sake.

“I like you.”

He pointedly stares at his feet, aware of Shirabu’s eyes on him.

“I like you, that’s why I’ve been avoiding you and why my Quirk’s been off, I just didn’t know how to deal with… my feelings.”

It’s simultaneously agony and a relief getting that off his chest. As a hero-in-training, Semi can safely say this is the scariest experience he’s ever faced in life.

“Semi-san, look at me.”

Reluctantly, he tears his eyes away from the ground to see Shirabu fidgeting with the hem of his uniform.

Huh, that was weird.

The younger boy walks forward, until they’re only inches apart and Semi exhales slowly when sunlight reflects off the gold flecks swimming in his copper eyes.

“You know,” Shirabu starts, a small smile playing on his lips. “I missed a mark just now.”

Semi furrows his brows. That’s impossible. The whole basis of Shirabu’s Quirk was that he _never_ missed. There are literally two arrows piercing through his uniform _right fucking now_ that testify that.

He’s about to voice this out loud but Shirabu beats him to it, pressing a finger against his lips. Semi shuts up.

Shirabu smiles softly, leaning in to whisper:

_“I meant to do this.”_

And kisses Semi on the lips.

Ushijima’s team wins in the end.

Semi’s a little salty about it, but looking at Shirabu’s fingers intertwined with his, he can’t help but think he came out of this exercise with something even better.

He squeezes his hand. Shirabu squeezes back.

 _It’s the little victories in the end_. Semi thinks, smiling to himself.

At the end of the day, Semi heads back to his dorm and pulls out a new notebook. He starts a new list and calls it **A List of The Best Things That’s Happened to Semi Eita.**

There, underlined in red and highlighted repeatedly, is the only thing written on the page:

  1. _Falling in Love with Shirabu Kenjirou_



**Author's Note:**

> Is this a result of binge reading too many kiribaku fics? Yes, yes it is.
> 
> I have literally never written a fight scene in my life but please accept this sorry excuse of a hero fic.
> 
> FYI, [ Of Cluelessness and Public Displays of Affection ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24895624) is getting a prequel and sequel! Hopefully in a months time the prequel will be out.


End file.
